Corruption Saga heads towards India; Suresh Raina cited with bookie’s associate
This year has hit the international cricket in the worst possible way; firstly it was the spot fixing trauma, this summer in England, involving the Pakistani players, and now it is India - the latest victim of allegations that seem to be growing and spreading in every country that cherishes the game of gentlemen.
The latest allegations involve the hard hitting Indian batsman Suresh Raina, the Indian cricket board BCCI, and the Sri Lankan cricket board. The International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit has decided to investigate, why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not reveal the report to the International Cricket Council that its cricketer Suresh Raina was seen in the company of a woman associated with an illegal bookmaker.
The incident happened earlier this year when the Indian team was on tour of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan board had installed CCTV cameras in the hotels where the teams were staying. The footage from the CCTV clearly shows Suresh Raina with a woman, who is believed to be an associate of an illegal bookie. Surprisingly, Raina was seen with this woman on more than one occasion.
The Sri Lankan board gave the footage to the BCCI, but the BCCI chose to stay quiet on the matter. The International Cricket Council is now investigating the silence of the BCCI and why the Sri Lankan cricket board gave the footage to the BCCI instead of handing it over to the International Cricket Council.
These new allegations have come to surface just a few days after India defeated Australia in the ODI series and Test series, thus clinching the number one position in Test cricket. These allegations have come as a low blow to the Indian team which seems to be on the rise these days with every game they play.
It seems, that the “Match fixing” Pandora box has finally been unlocked, and now no one knows how to contain the evils. From the reactions of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, one is led to believe that the cricket boards are not fully prepared to address the matter of match fixing which is plaguing the world of cricket.
The cricket boards have never been comfortable while talking about match fixing when it comes to their own country. Even the Australian cricket board was reluctant to hand out strict punishments to its players, Shane Warne and Mark Waugh who admitted of match fixing by providing information about pitch conditions and possible team selection to an Indian bookmaker during http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in 1994. Both players were slapped with fines and the matter was brushed aside.
Moving on, who can forget the South African match fixing fiasco during their tour to India; http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nicky-Boje-c2105 were all accused of having contacts with bookmakers. Out of the three, only Hensie Cronje was banned from International cricket.
Even with imposing bans on a few players and enforcing hefty fines, the sport of cricket is still continues to face the problem of match fixing. The fact is perhaps the International Cricket Council as well as the member cricket boards have been slow in identifying the sources of corruption or are trying their best to act naive. The players were fined and banned but no bookmaker has till this day, ever been arrested for contacting these players and luring them into match fixing. The players are only the pawns; the real culprits are the bookmakers. ICC needs to make laws that will help prosecute anyone who contacts the players for the purpose of fixing a match or any particular situation.
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